St. Paul teachers strike ends with ‘tentative’ agreement

The Saint Paul Federation of Educators and its members have ended a three-day strike that kept 36,000 students out of the classroom. A tentative agreement on the new two-year collective bargaining contract between the teachers’ union and the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) district was reached around 3:30 a.m. this morning. Students will return to class on Monday, and educators returned to work at 1 p.m. this afternoon, according to the district.

The tentative agreement—which will go before union members for a vote—includes adding more mental health staff (social workers, nurses, and psychologists), wage increases, and “more manageable workloads” for special education teachers. According to the Star Tribune, the deal also includes an expansion of “restorative practices” and agreement to pursue a moratorium on new charter schools.

Specific details of the contract have not yet been released, but you can read here what I wrote about the union’s initial wage increase proposal. The Center will keep you updated on exact numbers once they become available.